Organised by Freedom Tri – Hertfordshire’s Friendliest Triathlon club!

Duck ‘N’ Dash – your first multi-sport event, your family ‘A’ race or a fun break from Ironman training. It’s literally an event for all!

In partnership with Everyone Active, McMullen’s Family Brewers and Pubs, Pauls Bikes and Amber Health, Freedom Tri are pleased to stage the sixteenth Duck’N’Dash Aquathlon at the unique Letchworth Outdoor Swimming Pool. The ‘Duck’N’Dash’ is a multi-sport race combining a 400m pool-swim with a 5k run in the local nature reserve of Norton Common.

This year, the event forms part of the East Region Adult Race Series, this is the only Aquathlon event included in the series. If you are making an entry to be included in the East Region Adult Race Series, it is mandatory to complete the registration with your BTF number. Any entrants with that element missing will not be included in the results.

There are shorter alternatives for juniors between the ages of 08-14 years and a Team Relay challenge for those that prefer to call on the athletic talents of friends, family or work colleagues to either run or swim.

The event is open to everyone, we work with the BTF to involve visually impaired and mixed ability athletes.

This friendly event is open to a maximum entry of 350 participants and will feature chip-timed, age-group, open/female competition for anyone between the ages of 08-80 years that would like to test themselves on land and in water.

If you can swim 8 lengths of the outdoor 50m pool and can run 5km (reduced distances for younger age groups!), then this is your chance to experience the fastest-growing participation sport in the UK today. For the more competitive athlete looking for a local training opportunity, you won’t be disappointed with the superb venue and delightful setting that Letchworth Garden City has to offer.

Location: Letchworth Outdoor Pool, Icknield Way, Letchworth Garden City, Herts, SG6 4UF

Approximate Start times: Juniors – 9.00am | Seniors – 10.15am

See Registration section below for further details of timings

Entry Types: Family Ticket (2 Adults + 2 Children), 1 Adult + 1 Child, 2 Person Adult Relay (1 Swimmer, 1 Runner), Adaptive Adult +Assistant

Distances:

Seniors & Relay Teams – 400m swim (8 lengths), 5k run

Juniors – Youth: 15-16 years (Year of Birth 2009&2010) – 400m swim (8 lengths) & 5k run

Tristar 3: 13-14 years (Year of Birth 2011&2012) – 300m swim (6 lengths) & 3k run

Tristar 2: 11-12 years (Year of Birth 2013&2014) – 200m swim (4 lengths) & 2k run

Tristar 1: 9-10 years (Year of Birth 2015&2016) – 100m swim (2 lengths) & 1k run

Tristar Start: 8 years (Year of Birth 2017) – 50m swim (1 length) & 0.6k run

Please use the Year of Birth listed above to ensure that you are entering your child for the correct event. Age given for each event is age on 31/12/2026, not age on race day.

Minimum Age: From 8 yrs. Ages as at 31/12/2026

Additional Fees: A 6% booking fee will be added at the checkout. Purchase of a BTF race pass (see below).

Registration & Approximate Timings

Registration

Timing chips will be distributed at Registration only. We recommend that if possible, you register on Saturday and arrive in good time to manage equipment, set-up transition and to warm-up on the morning of the race.

If you are not a BTF member then you must purchase a BTF RACE PASS at the time of registration. The cost of this goes directly to BTF and costs £8 for adults and £2 for Under 25's

All timings are subject to slight alteration. Final timings will be sent by email in the week prior to the event.

Saturday

16:30 registration for adults and juniors open

18:00 registration closes

Sunday

07:00 registration for juniors and junior transition open

08:15 registration for juniors closes

08:30 registration for adults and adult transition opens

08:30 junior transition closes

08:45 junior race briefing at poolside

09:00 first junior in the pool

09:45 registration for adults closes

10:00 adult transition closes

10:05 adult race briefing at poolside

10:15 first adult in the pool

10:30 (approx) last junior finishes race

11:00 junior prizegiving

11:30 (approx) last adult finishes the race

12:00 adult prizegiving

Our Sponsers

We are grateful to McMullen Brewery , Pauls Bikes and Amber Health for their support of this event.

Prizes

Tri Start

Tri Start 1,2 & 3

Youth

Seniors [17-39]

Veterans[40-54]

Super Veterans [55+]

Adult Relay Team

Junior Prize Giving is at approximately 11am at the finish area on Norton Common

Adult Prize giving is at approximately 12pm at the finish area on Norton Common

Description supplied by the event organiser.